Commonwealth Technology News

Kentucky Chief Information Officer Phil Baughn addressed members of the Geographic Information Advisory Council during the group's first meeting in more than five years on July 15. PHOTO/Demetrio Zourarakis More

GIAC returns after 5 yearsAfter disbanding more than five years ago, the state’s Geographic Information Advisory Council has been reinstated.The council was created in the early 1990s to advise the state Chief Information Officer on issues relating to geographic information and geographic information systems (GIS). The council also recommends policies and procedures that assist state and local jurisdictions in developing, deploying and leveraging GIS resources and technology to improve public administration. More

COT announces lower ratesIncreased capacity and processing power on the state’s enterprise sever has resulted in significantly reduced rates from Commonwealth Office of Technology. The enterprise server offline rate has fallen from $3,600 per CPU hour in 2007 to $1,550 for the current fiscal year, according to the latest figures released by the agency. The online usage rate has also fallen dramatically, from $100 in fiscal year 2007 to $35 for the current fiscal year. More

State pilots new electronic death registryA new electronic registry is modernizing the process by which death data is collected in Kentucky to increase efficiency and make reporting simpler.The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, in conjunction with its Office of Vital Statistics has designed, developed and piloted a new Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS) that is changing the way in which information for death certificates is collected and processed in the Commonwealth. More

Efficiency abounds with COT’s move to virtual serversCommonwealth Office of Technology’s move to virtual servers has cut energy costs, shortened customer deployment and service response time, and helped reduce equipment space in the state’s data center, an official said.Dave Tucker, director of COT's Division of Technical Services, said the move to virtual servers has been nothing short of a success. He estimates the move has saved thousands in electricity, network and cooling costs. “It has truly exceeded our expectations,” Tucker said. “It’s truly incredible the difference in efficiency.” More

Kentucky to Receive $246 million in Stimulus Funds to Expand Broadband AccessFRANKFORT, Ky. – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Gov. Steve Beshear today announced that Kentucky will receive an additional $246 million in broadband infrastructure grants and loans through eight recently sanctioned projects as part of the Rural Utility Service Broadband Initiatives Program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). These funds will help dramatically expand broadband infrastructure throughout the state, particularly in its most underserved areas, providing affordable high-speed Internet access to homeowners and businesses.

Governor Beshear announces nGimat opening lab facility in LexingtonFRANKFORT, Ky. (July 29, 2010) – Gov. Steve Beshear and Cabinet for Economic Development Secretary Larry Hayes today announced nGimat LLC, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based nGimat Co., is establishing a new lab facility in Lexington. The company plans to initially invest more than $740,000 and will create 18 new high-tech jobs over three years, paying an average salary of $58,500, followed by an additional 50 full-time jobs in production and administrative positions.

Question: How many online transactions were processed on the state's enterprise server in June 2010?

Answer: The enterprise server processed more than 178 million online transactions during the month of June at an average cost of $0.0043 per transaction. In comparison, 126 million online transactions were processed in July 2006 at an average cost of $0.0094 per transaction.

Do you have an interesting trivia question that involves technology and Kentucky State Government? If so, send it to Techlines via the Techlines Feedback Page.

Techlines Trivia Question of the Month

How many online transactions were processed on the state's enterprise server in June 2010?

(See the answer at the bottom of this page.)

External Links

Some of the links on this site may resolve to non-governmental agencies. The information on these pages is not controlled by Techlines or the Commonwealth of Kentucky.